1 September 20234 October 2024 Monthly news from the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), August 2023 A very exciting month has passed again and you may find here the RCI Manifesto for the next European Commission, several interesting articles and the announcement of a webinar with Alfa Laval, Borealis and Stahl
Pilot plant Alta first ‘JTF project’ in Zeeland: CO2 from chemical industry turns into raw material for batteries First project in the Dutch Zeeuws-Vlaanderen/Vlissingen-Oost region is receiving funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate
31 August 202328 August 2023 Avantium awarded €0.76 million EU funding for its participation in the Rebiolution project This programme aims to design and synthetize biobased and biodegradable polyester blends based on FDCA to be used as plastic coating for food packaging and for mulch films for agricultural applications
28 August 202317 December 2024 Sign the RCI Manifesto for the next European Commission (2024-2029) The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) is highlighting key issues as policymaker's awareness and support is crucial for the much-needed transition to renewable carbon
Boosting innovation in European bioeconomy New projects to drive innovation within the European bioeconomy being funded by the CBE JU are outlined here
One year on, Europe is still missing a business case for industrial decarbonisation The US Inflation Reduction Act is one year old today. Its first 90 days were enough for the US to overtake the EU’s second-place spot in producing cleantech
18 August 202314 August 2023 The success of the INITIATE project using carbon capture and utilisation technology Antonio La Mantia, Director of Communications and Events, and Anastasios Perimenis, Secretary General at CO2 Value Europe, explore the INITIATE project that uses carbon capture and utilisation to contribute to a climate-neutral and circular economy
11 August 20238 August 2023 The twilight days of the European Green Deal The European Union has been steaming ahead with its Green Deal for the past four years, but as it reaches the home stretch, a pushback on environmental legislation and shortcomings in industrial policy are set to slow it down
10 August 20237 August 2023 Berlin hopeful Brussels will greenlight large-scale hydrogen subsidies Berlin has been making “good progress” in its talks with the European Commission on the potential scope of national subsidies for hydrogen power plants, according to German Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck
Förderung von Wasserstoffkraftwerken: Habeck hofft auf EU-Erlaubnis Die Bundesregierung hat laut Bundeswirtschaftsminister Robert Habeck in Gesprächen mit der EU-Kommission über den Umfang staatlicher Subventionen für Wasserstoffkraftwerke „wichtige Fortschritte“ gemacht
8 August 20233 August 2023 Bio-Ab-Cycling – Bioraffinerien zur Gewinnung von Rohstoffen aus Abfall und Abwasser Rund 19 Millionen Euro an Fördergeldern sollen für gesamt fünf Demonstrations- und Pilotanlagen im Sinne von Raffinerien in Baden-Württemberg dienen, die noch kombiniert und erprobt werden müssen
Staatssekretär Dr. Andre Baumann und EU-Kommissionsvertreter Miguel Avila besichtigen InBiRa-Insektenbioraffinerie Mithilfe von Insektenlarven, genauer den Larven der Schwarzen Soldatenfliege, sollen im Rahmen des Projekts InBiRa aus Lebensmittelabfällen und Bioabfällen zukünftig hochwertige Produkte gewonnen werden
4 August 20232 August 2023 9th EBRN Event- Marine-friendly biopolymers: characteristics and challenges More than 120 participants proactively contributed in the different thematic sessions and policy makers to further explore this topic
14 July 202311 July 2023 Deforestation-free supply chains New rules in force, 18 months transition period
11 July 20236 July 2023 Commission tables proposal for 30% cut in EU food waste by 2030 The European Commission has proposed legally binding targets to reduce food waste by 2030, including a 30% reduction for households, restaurants, and retail, but organisations and lawmakers warn it does not match international ambition to halve food waste
7 July 202328 December 2023 Compostable Plastics: Unlocking the Potential in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation 10 Member States are at risk of missing the target of 65% recycling of packaging waste by 2025
Kompostierbare Kunststoffe: Das Potenzial der Verpackungs- und Verpackungsabfallverordnung erschließen Zehn Mitgliedstaaten laufen Gefahr, das Ziel einer 65-prozentigen Wiederverwertung von Verpackungsabfällen bis 2025 zu verfehlen
4 July 20233 July 2023 Infinite plastic recycling: The technology is ready, but what about legislation? New chemical recycling technologies are creating an infinite loop for the plastic ecosystem, addressing waste streams that currently lack suitable recycling processes
19 June 202314 June 2023 Open Letter: Europe Can Count on the Bioenergy Industry for its Net-Zero Goals Bioenergy plays and will keep on playing an increasingly important role in the EU’s efforts to decarbonise; this sector will be indispensable for meeting the European Union’s climate and energy targets for 2030, 2050 and beyond
12 June 20237 June 2023 Developing and strengthening Europe’s bioeconomy John Bell, Director of Healthy Planet, DG Research & Innovation at the European Commission, discusses the strategies and initiatives in place to strengthen Europe’s bioeconomy
6 June 20231 June 2023 Forest soils can increase climate change mitigation with targeted management Forest soils are larger carbon stocks than the trees that grow on them. Yet global studies on forest carbon stock changes often focus on wood biomass, wood products or various offsetting effects
1 June 202331 May 2023 Free Webinar on the Life Cycle Assessment of Avantium’s PEF On 22 June, the PEFerence project team will organise a free webinar with the title: "PEF – A Circular Bio-Based Polymer with Improved Properties – LCA"
Driving on sunshine: clean, usable liquid fuels made from solar power Researchers have developed a solar-powered technology that converts carbon dioxide and water into liquid fuels that can be added directly to a car’s engine as drop-in fuel
Fahren mit der Sonne: saubere, nutzbare Flüssigkraftstoffe aus Sonnenenergie Künstliche Blätter können direkt sauberes Ethanol und Propanol produzieren
31 May 202314 May 2024 EU-Staaten stimmen für Digitalen Produktpass und gegen Vernichtung von Neuwaren Anders als die bisher geltende Ökodesign-Richtlinie soll die neue Verordnung nicht nur für energieverbrauchsrelevante Produkte, sondern für fast alle physischen Produkte gelten
30 May 20234 October 2024 Monthly news from the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), May 2023 Let's take a look at what happened in May 2023 at RCI
25 May 202323 May 2023 EU-Verpackungsplänen fehlt Praxisbezug: Paletten und Co. sind mobile Kohlenstoffspeicher! Der HPE fordert, in Brüssel klar und unmissverständlich zwischen erneuerbaren Materialien wie Holz und solchen auf fossiler Basis zu unterscheiden
23 May 202317 May 2023 GRETE project: textiles from wood The GRETE project has developed new and better technologies for wood pulp modification and it also improved cellulose dissolution and generation of high-quality textile fibres
22 May 202316 May 2023 McDonald’s Leads Lobbying Offensive Against Laws to Reduce Packaging Waste in Europe Flawed assumptions and a “disturbing” lack of transparency characterise an industry campaign against reusable packaging, academics and campaigners warn
19 May 202316 May 2023 Simply EGG-genious: Students invent edible packaging from eggshells Award-winning product from the University of Hohenheim: Packaging made from old eggshells impresses the jury as packaging for bagged soups, can be eaten & provides valuable additional proteins
Ceresana: Bioplastics Market Report This is the eighth time that Ceresana has investigated the dynamically growing global market for “green” polymers: Analysts expect revenues generated with bioplastics to increase to around USD 11.4 billion by 2032
Ceresana: Marktstudie Biokunststoffe Ceresana hat zum achten Mal den wachsenden Weltmarkt für „grüne“ Polymere untersucht: Die Analysten erwarten, dass der Biokunststoff-Umsatz bis zum Jahr 2032 auf rund 11,4 Milliarden US-Dollar wachsen wird
17 May 202317 December 2024 Bio-based content, compostable plastics, and chemical recycling – many opportunities for more innovation and sustainability in the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) The Renewable Carbon Initiative’s position paper highlights chances for the EU to lead the way to a sustainable packaging industry and to promote innovation
Biobasierte Inhaltsstoffe, kompostierbare Kunststoffe und chemisches Recycling – viele Chancen für mehr Innovation und Nachhaltigkeit in der neuen Verordnung über Verpackungen und Verpackungsabfälle (PPWR) Das Positionspapier der Renewable Carbon Initiative zeigt Möglichkeiten auf, wie die EU den Weg für eine nachhaltige Verpackungsindustrie ebnen und Innovationen fördern kann
12 May 202310 May 2023 Which material will become Europe’s future construction mainstay? The European Union’s construction industry stands at a crossroads: In its transition to a climate-neutral ecosystem, the incumbent industry is worried that organic replacements are given disproportionate support.
10 May 20235 May 2023 EUBP publishes positions on PPWR and proposes amendments The association appreciates the Commission’s recognition of the important role of compostable plastics in facilitating separate biowaste collection, which will be mandatory across Europe by December 2023
25 April 202324 April 2023 Reform des europäischen Emissionshandels: Parlament stimmt mit Ja Das Europäische Parlament hat am Dienstag (18. April) weitreichende Reformen beschlossen, um die europäische Klimapolitik ehrgeiziger zu gestalten. Der EU-ETS wird reformiert, CO2 auszustoßen wird damit immer teurer
Parliament backs EU carbon market overhaul, world’s first CO₂ tariff Europe’s carbon market forces power plants and factories to buy CO2 permits when they pollute. It has slashed those sectors’ emissions by 43% since 2005 but is facing a revamp to hit more ambitious EU climate change targets
24 April 202320 April 2023 Deutsche Umwelthilfe warnt vor hochriskanten und unausgereiften Technologien des chemischen Recyclings Zwei neue Studien setzen falsche Prioritäten und könnten problematische politische Entscheidungen zur Pyrolyse oder Vergasung im Recycling von Kunststoffen zur Folge haben
The term recycling must not be watered down by pyrolysis and gasification Two new studies set the wrong priorities and could encourage problematic policy decisions on pyrolysis and gasification of plastic packaging waste
21 April 202319 April 2023 Will the EU’s renewables directive change the landscape for forest biomass? The EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive strengthens the sustainability criteria for biomass heat and power, but the compromise text means it might only lead to limited improvements in the short term, argue Gemma Toop and Michèle Koper
19 April 202319 April 2023 EU-Verpackungsregeln: Linke-Koalition will Abfallvermeidung priorisieren Die Priorisierung der umweltfreundlichsten Wege im Umgang mit Abfall, beginnend mit der Vermeidung und Wiederverwendung, sollte im Mittelpunkt des neuen EU-Verpackungsgesetzes stehen, fordern die zuständigen Europaabgeordneten
Left-wing lawmakers to prioritise waste prevention in new EU packaging law Prioritising the most environmentally-friendly ways of dealing with waste, starting with prevention and reuse, should be central to Europe’s new packaging law, lawmakers working on the file told EURACTIV
17 April 202312 April 2023 EU eyes CO2-hydrogen combination to make synthetic fuels Experts say the two molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen are the foundation of the EU’s future low-carbon synthetic fuel industry
EU prüft CO2-Wasserstoff-Kombination zur Herstellung synthetischer Kraftstoffe Experten zufolge bilden die beiden Moleküle Kohlendioxid (CO2) und Wasserstoff die Grundlage für die künftige emissionsarme synthetische Kraftstoffindustrie in der EU
13 April 20236 April 2023 Why coffee capsules should be compostable European Bioplastics sides with specific EU Commission proposal
12 April 20236 April 2023 Banning greenwashing: new EU rules to ReSet the Trend in the fashion sector Greenwashing is particularly prevalent in the fashion industry: a recent screening of green claims in the textile, garment and shoe sector suggested that 39% could be false or deceptive
6 April 20235 April 2023 EU exports of used textiles in Europe’s circular economy The common public perception of used clothing donations as generous gifts to people in need does not fully match reality